Marnos
The Republic of Marnos (Marnosyn: Марносън Ѣтјо̄рас, Marnosyn Ätjōras) is a large temperate country located far north from Vozolaz and west of Heronoja, along the cool northwestern shores of the continent of Palkyras on the planet Jerde. It is surrounded by Budino, Pyranika, and Baesorja to the northeast; Arvora, a dozen smaller states, and Paltirion to the northeast; and Arkola and the Tornarin Empire (its arch-enemy) to the south. Flag and symbols The National Flag of Marnos (Marnosyn: Марносън На̄ра-т̦а Га̄пліс, Marnosyn Nāra-ța Gāplis) consists of red and green horizontal bars divided by a white line that zig-zags three times on the middle. * Red (Андо, Ando): Courage, the traditional Marnosyn culture; diligence; perseverance; and the sacrifices of those who fought for Marnos' independence and survival. * White (Лаіта, Laita): Honour, the ethnic Marnosyn people; discipline; righteousness. * Green (Марно, Marno): Peace; the land and riches of Marnos; its vegetation; and its stability; * Three triangles (Міјо Даутін̦на, Mijo Dautiņna): The Three Mountain Ranges of Marnos; strength; and appreciation (e.g. practice of the Three Values represented by the colours of Marnos' flag). Historical flags used images of trees (which were the predecessors of the modern flag), foxes, black cats (used by pilots and artists for good luck), stylistic flames, flax stalks or flowers, oak trees, thunderbolts, and the akillon firebird, traditional symbols used in Marnosyn culture. The national animals of Marnos are the red fox, the black cat, and the akillon phoenix. As Marnos was the first civilisation in history to domesticate foxes, those reddish mammals became beloved symbols of the republic and its culture. As for black cats, they were originally adopted to make fun of Ardeschen superstitions, and they became popular among pilots and artists as symbols of defiance against luck and fate, and therefore relentless courage. 17 August is Marnos' Independence Day from Budinovian rule, and among the reds-whites-and-greens commonly flown on that day, that date also happens to coincide with Black Cat Appreciation Day, which celebrates one of the republic's three national animals. Black cat.jpg Vulpes Vulpes.jpg Phoenix bird.jpg History In very ancient times, the Rakolans developed a sophisticated civilisation that was renowned for its smithing, its gold and silver chariots, its expertise in mathematics, its volumes of daina epics, and for being the first humans to domesticate foxes. Millennia of foreign conquests, catastrophes, divisions, and reunifications later, they were coalesced into the Kingdom of Marnoxai, which competed against Ardesch, Vozolaz, and Tukshara to be the dominant Jerdiskar space empire. Over three hundred and sixty millennia followed, and Marnoxai was Rakola again, but as a diminished shadow of its ancient self. When the Budinōvians to the further north conquered the country, they forcibly altered the Marnosyns' culture and speech, and sold many defeated enemies to other lands as slaves. They exploited and worsened the living conditions of the later Rakolans, who eventually revolted after the Wraithstorm failed to kill most of their people. As the Budinōvian tyrants were driven out of the country, the restored Rakolan nation became the Republic of Marnos. In its early years, the people trained, built, and defended their nation against Tornarin assaults from the south, and Daleskarnian naval raids along its western shores. When it seemed that their enemies stopped due to exhaustation or internal turmoil, a certain president seized control of the government from its junta. His bloated administration was characterised by severe corruption and poverty, and without funding for proper education or basic amenities, much of the country slid into the backwardness, though it was not as war-torn as Vozolaz before the Retainers restored order. The southern provinces, a stronghold of tradition and order, were united under another leader who sought to turn Marnos' provinces towards his reformist cause. With the help of twelve margaves and their forces, they later took control of the government with a coup, and with the help of machinery supplied by the Kingdom of Bujan, transformed Marnos into a technology-advanced country with a developed economy. With the help of his southern allies, he led counter-attacks against the Daleskarnian and Tornarin invaders, and liberated the nearby nation of Arkola from foreign rule. In recent times, Marnos had an influx of immigrants that boosted its economy. Most of them were descendants of the Rakolan exiles who sought a better life and security from the disasters abroad, while a portion were Tornarin defectors and dissidents who served the Marnosyn and Arkolan militaries to overthrow the Tornarin imperial authorities. Now, Marnos assists the other powerful nations in combatting terrorism and preparing for war against the extraterrestrial Abductors' threat against Jerde's survival. At the meantime, it has also become a renowned hub for world-class education, entertainment, business, mass media (especially in film-making and acting), manufacturing, scientific research, and environmentally-friendly machinery (based on the belief in "darna", or harmony); but it also become infamous for its shabby services, youth subcultures, mutants and their dangerous superpowers, cheesy acting, excessive love of pop culture, vulgarity, kitsch, and sheer commercialism! Geography and climate Much of its terrain consists of grassland with large areas of forest concentrated along the centre and east, near three mountain ranges along its northern coast and borders to the east and south. While the western and northern coasts enjoy a cool, rainy maritime climate; the southern mountains are more arid as they block southern rains. The capital of Marnos is the metropolis of Ranxitas, the "City of the Lamps", named after the tall towers built by the Lampguard as a defensive system. Government Marnos is a unitary republic ruled by a President, who is elected every four years for up to two terms. However, twelve mutant families enjoy high social prestige for their aid in the reunification of Marnos, and they are tasked with guarding the southern border. Military All active Marnosyn members of the Lampguard Order are part of the Marnosyn Armed Forces, and every male and female citizen is obligated to attend military training from the age of 18 for one year. Economy Marnos has the third-strongest economy in all of Jerde. Although it is capable of utilising very advanced machinery, most of its people prefer contemporary technology. Demographics Ethnicities and races Most people in Marnos belong to the Marnosyn ethnicity, a race of peach-skinned humans with colourful hair and eyes. Represented minorities in Marnos include Besotroskar (Nordic, Baesorjans), other Rakolan cultures, and Nokteans. The Besotrosk people mostly reside in the east, and their traditions have left a large influence in Marnosyn culture. Other Rakolans include the Southern Marnosyns (or Old Marnosyns), Arkolans, Arvorans, and the Grinstiai: the former retain many older aspects of their traditional culture, the second were exiles from their southern homeland who brought their traditions with them, the third are easterly neighbours who were attracted by Marnos' freewheeling society, and the latter were descended from Rakolans who returned from exile, resulting in five main Rakolan/Marnosyn cultures. The brown-skinned Nokteans are a more recent minority descended from defectors and opponents of the Tornarin Empire, which the Marnosyn government uses to drive the Tornarin armies out of Arkola. To avoid the possibility of having the entire Marnosyn ethnicity losing their "Whiteness", anyone with a Noktean parent is automatically counted as a Noktean, even if he or she looks as White as a Marnosyn. There are also a handful of citizens from other countries and races, but due to strict immigration laws, most of them consist of richer, skilled expatriates or Lampguard personnel. True humans, near-humans, and non-humans While most Marnosyns are true humans, around a quarter of their ethnicity are mutants. A "mutant" (in the general definition used throughout the world) is any human with genetic abilities, usually in the form of either fire or electricity manipulation, or invisibility. It is rare for a mutant to have any two or all three powers at once, and certain other abilities such as time manipulation are rarer. Most mutants are descendants of super-soldiers from ancient armies who managed to intermarry with commoners, resulting in dangerous lineages renowned in folklore throughout the planet. Due to the high risk from their powers, all mutants are considered as property of the Marnosyn government, and are required to wear a gauntlet that limits their powers whenever they go outside. If they cause any unnecessary destruction or if they remove their gauntlets in public (while not in an emergency), they will be detained in camps all over the country. However, due to protests and for their role in the reunification of Marnos in 1870, all mutants are permitted to live outside the camps and intermarry with mundane humans as they wish. However, the same social taboos against race-mixing still apply to them. Society Entertainment Marnos is renowned for its movies (they especially love action movies), its arcade games, and its satire and vulgarity. The most popular genre of music in Marnos is rock music, mainly because it sounds rough and wild, just as the Marnosyns like it. One popular franchise from Marnos is "Sleipnir", which is an adaptation of the eight-legged horse of the Baesorthar war god Odin into an adorable cartoon character, beloved by young children everywhere. Even though their Marnoxai ancestors were rivals of the Sarmelonid Empire, some modern-day Marnosyns like to appropriate Sarmelonid Vozonid culture. Nationalism Owing to anger from oppressive Budinovian rule and invasions by the Tornarin and Freygardian (Daleskarnian) Empires centuries ago, nearly all Marnosyns fervently and fiercely defend their nation to the last drop of their blood. While they also like to make fun of their country or embrace certain foreign trends, they will never allow any sign of "foreign rule" anywhere in their country, such as: a non-Marnosyn becoming president, another ethnicity becoming the majority, giving away even a parcel of their territory, or opening their country to too many non-Marnosyn or non-White refugees. Even suggesting and promoting any of these things can make any Marnosyn angry at you. While a mixed-race person may be treated with the same respect as any other foreigner deserves, Marnosyn society looks down on "race-mixing" (when two people of different races have any romantic/sexual relations. E.g. Besotrosk-Marnosyn is fine because both are "White", Marnosyn-Vozonid is not). Although interracial relations and media featuring such things are not illegal, mixed-race couples are just frowned upon as "cutting themselves away from their holy ancestors". However, Marnosyns do not mind interacting with people from other races and mixed-race folk, so long as they do not fall in love with them. They also do not practice a segregation system that orders non-Whites or non-Marnosyns to use separate facilities, and they prefer not to insult or hate (most) people from other ethnicities and races, preferring instead to direct their insults towards individuals. In spite of this,the colourful Ontemazei humanoids are banned from entering the country out of fear of them being cannibals, except as diplomats, tourists, traders, students, or Lampguard staff. Taboos Aside from race-mixing and any other acts suggesting to Marnosyns to become a minority in their own nation, other acts are considered to be strong taboos in Marnosyn culture. Those include human sacrifice (which is obviously murder), honour kilings of any form (even those involving "race traitors"), adultery, and casual sex (to their logic, that kind of sex makes as much sense as ripping the partner's organs off -- to relieve their urges they relieve by themselves, alone, until they get married), as those are considered "disgusting" or "barbaric" to the Marnosyn people. As a result, they avoid pornography like the plague. Trivia * Marnos is inspired by: Lithuania, the modern Romuva religion, the United States of America (especially its more vulgar aspects, plus those of Russia as well), the superhuman mutants of X-Men, 1950s Britain, and European nationalist/right-wing movements. * Some of the earlier protagonists of some Rabydosverse stories who came from Marnos were inspired by the villains of Pooh's Adventures and "Friendship is Magic" (as of 2015), as the author intended to make fun of their cliche villains and their repetitive usage by fanfiction authors and show staff alike. ** See also for other early/2015 Rabydosverse ideas: Gimbarish, Siangwaan, Heronoja See also Category:Rabydosverse Category:Peculiar Rabydosverse countries Category:Countries